As I read the excerpt from Fried's The Passionate Teacher about the Game of School (GOS), the statement that stood out the most to me was "We pretend to learn and they pretend to teach us." This is a very sad statement, but one which I could completely relate to. As a student, I absolutely "pretended to learn" at times and it was common to have a teacher who "pretended to teach." Regardless of the amount of work done, students will usually get promoted and teachers receive salary increases.
I absolutely believe that students need to take a greater role in the quality of their education, but they need help understanding the importance of their time in the classroom. They need to understand that they get one chance to go through school. What are their dreams? How will they attain them? Chances are that they need an education to get there. Students need to know that support is available at all times to help them achieve their dreams. Teacher expectations should be high and unwaivering. The GOS plays a large role in the effort to improve schools. Standardized tests are important, but should not be the focus. A teacher's focus must be on engaging students and working hard to make lessons as fun, relevant, and meaningful as possible. The student, teacher, and school need to work as a team for everyone to be successful.
I absolutely believe that students need to take a greater role in the quality of their education, but they need help understanding the importance of their time in the classroom. They need to understand that they get one chance to go through school. What are their dreams? How will they attain them? Chances are that they need an education to get there. Students need to know that support is available at all times to help them achieve their dreams. Teacher expectations should be high and unwaivering.
The GOS plays a large role in the effort to improve schools. Standardized tests are important, but should not be the focus. A teacher's focus must be on engaging students and working hard to make lessons as fun, relevant, and meaningful as possible. The student, teacher, and school need to work as a team for everyone to be successful.